


Abe's Bet

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-20 14:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11337147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: It's a significant date in the calendar for Henry, and Abe wants him to see the positive side.





	Abe's Bet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/gifts).



> My thanks to Nagi Schwarz for the rapid Ameri-pick, and to Brumeier for the equally rapid beta.

“Henry, I know what the date is, you don’t have to pretend everything’s all right,” Abe Morgan said.

Henry turned to face him.  “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Today.  It was today, all those years ago.”  Abe waited for Henry to acknowledge the fact, and when he didn’t, continued, “The first time you died.  And every year I see you wondering why you didn’t.  And what point your life has had since.”

“It’s not like you to go all existential.”

“I don’t.  You do.  And I see you thinking of all the people you’ve failed over the years.  But there are people whose lives you have made a difference too.”

“Maybe, in the past.  Now, I’m not so sure.”

“I’ll make a bet with you.  If three different people tell you today how important you are to them, you have to take me out for dinner at the restaurant of my choice tonight.  If not, we stay home and either I’ll cook if you want or we can go hungry.”

“You will never go hungry!  But you’re on.”

Abe smiled as Henry left the shop.  One of the advantages of having access to Henry’s cellphone – since one of them needed to keep an eye on incoming messages, and Henry singularly failed at that task – was that he had a good idea of what Henry would find when he arrived at work.

***

“Henry, don’t bother taking your coat off, you’re coming with me,” Joanna Reece said as soon as he walked through the door. 

She led the way to her car and drove them a couple of blocks away to where an officer was standing guard in front of a small convenience store.  The officer saluted her as she entered the store.

“The body’s out the back.  There’s something wrong with it, apart from the obvious gunshot wound in the chest, but I can’t work out what.  I wanted you to see the body in place before it was moved to the morgue.”

Henry walked over to look at the body and then carefully inspected the surroundings.

Finally, he said, “You’re right.  He didn’t die here.  For some reason the body has been moved, and laid in exactly the saw position as when he fell originally.  Whoever did it has even managed a reasonably accurate reproduction of the blood splatter pattern.  But he was killed somewhere else.”

“Can you tell me where he was killed?” Reece asked.

“For that I’ll need to do a proper post mortem.  There will be fibers, but I can’t see them at the moment.”

“Thank you.  You have no idea how much I appreciate having you as our pathologist.  Too many in the force are happy to settle for the quick answer, but I know you will always look for the right one.”

Henry looked at her with some amazement, so she continued.  “But don’t let that swell your head.  And if you want a ride back, we need to be leaving now.”

She turned and walked out of the store, Henry once more following behind.

***

Once back in the morgue Henry was met by Lucas who clearly had something to tell him.

“Is this work related?” Henry asked cautiously.

“Umm, no, not really.”

“Okay, get me a coffee and you can have until I’ve drunk it to tell me about it.”

“Great!”

Henry watched as Lucas practically bounced off to fetch the coffee.  It was hard not to be swept up in his enthusiasms.  In a couple of minutes Lucas returned with the coffees.

He began immediately, “I’ve been reading a book which was published recently.  It’s a collection of letters written by various army surgeons during the Civil War.  It’s really interesting reading.  They don’t just write about their work, although that’s interesting enough, but some of them include things about the political situation and what their thoughts are.  And then there are the letters to their families, with personal matters.  One really sad one I read last night was one doctor writing to his wife, after their only son had died aged six.  He wrote ‘I have seen many deaths over these past days, but Isaac’s sad demise has been the only one to cause me to shed tears.  I cannot begin to understand how you are coping, when I, at least, have my work to distract me from thoughts of our poor boy.’”

Henry nodded.  “That is sad.  But all too common at that time, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, I know that.  But that wasn’t actually what I want to tell you about.  One of the other letters mentions a Dr Henry Morgan – and he sounded just like you.  Isn’t that amazing?”

“Both Henry and Morgan are relatively common names.”

“That’s not the point.  The man who was describing his Dr Morgan wrote about how inspiring he found him, and how understanding and helpful he was in explaining things.  That’s what I meant about him being like you.  Just think, your namesake has made a difference to someone else, just like you have to me.”

“Yes, right.  Now, I have finished my coffee, so shall we get on?”

***

As Henry once more entered Abe’s shop he was greeted with “I’ve made the reservation for the restaurant.”

“Sorry, Abe, not this time.  I’ve had both Joanna Reece and Lucas tell me that I make a difference to them, but that’s only two, not the three you required.”

“I’m not the one who’s mistaken.  I may not tell you this every day, but if it hadn’t been for you and Mom my life would have been so very different.  Who was it who taught me how much every single individual matters?  Who was it who didn’t just talk about the importance of love, but showed me what it meant?  I may not call you Dad any more, but you remain my father, and you were and remain important to me.  And that, you must agree, makes three people.”

Henry laughed.  “In which case, how can I refuse?  What time’s the reservation?”

 


End file.
